ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Diabetes care: Implanted glucose sensor works for more than a year in animal studies (July 29, 2010) -- Bioengineers have developed an implantable glucose sensor and wireless telemetry system that continuously monitors tissue glucose and transmits the information to an external receiver. A new article describes the use of this glucose-sensing device as an implant in animals for over one year. After human clinical trials and FDA approval, the device may be useful to people with diabetes as an alternative to finger sticking and short-term, needle-like glucose sensors that have to be replaced every three to seven days. ... > full story
Talking touchscreens aid patients (July 29, 2010) -- Multimedia talking touchscreens, housed in computer kiosks at clinics and hospitals, are helping researchers and clinicians at local health care centers enhance patient-centered care for patients with diverse language, literacy and computer skills. ... > full story
Penalty points system driver's license reduces accidents on a temporary basis, Spanish study finds (July 29, 2010) -- Researchers have determined that after the implementation in 2006 of the penalty points system driver's license in Spain, there has been a reduction of 12.6 percent in the number of deaths in highway accidents. However, the effect on fatal accidents lasted only two years. ... > full story
Three-year investigation of military munitions sea disposal site in Hawaii completed (July 29, 2010) -- The University of Hawaii at Manoa's School of Ocean Earth Science and Technology completed a three-year long investigation of Sea Disposal Site Hawaii Number 5, a deep-water military munitions disposal site in US coastal waters approximately 5 miles south of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. This complex investigation required the use of high-resolution sidescan sonar and remotely operated underwater vehicles to locate sea disposed munitions in water as deep as 1,500 feet. ... > full story
Nanomaterials poised for big impact in construction (July 28, 2010) -- Nanomaterials are poised for widespread use in the construction industry, where they can offer significant advantages for a variety of applications ranging from making more durable concrete to self-cleaning windows. But widespread use in building materials comes with potential environmental and health risks when those materials are thrown away. Those are the conclusions of a new study. ... > full story
Nanotechnology for water purification (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers in India are investigating the use of several nanotechnology approaches to water purification. Water purification using nanotechnology exploits nanoscopic materials such as carbon nanotubes and alumina fibers for nanofiltration ... > full story
Novel algorithm cuts the risks of choosing ineffectual team members (July 28, 2010) -- Choosing team members is a risky business whether the field is world-class soccer management or car manufacture. Researchers describe a novel algorithm that can cut the risks associated with choosing ineffectual members and so bolster success in any field involving teamwork. ... > full story
Clean technology in 'hot water' (July 28, 2010) -- What if work performed in space could improve the treatment of household and nuclear waste on Earth? That's what investigators are hoping to do with the results of a fluid physics study in progress on the International Space Station. The experiment, called DECLIC-HTI, is studying supercritical water that could lead to spin-offs in the field of clean technologies for treating waste here on Earth. ... > full story
Artificially controlling water condensation leads to 'room-temperature ice' (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have studied the underlying mechanisms of water condensation in the troposphere and found a way to make artificial materials to control water condensation and trigger ice formation at room temperature. ... > full story
First step toward electronic DNA sequencing: Translocation through graphene nanopores (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new, carbon-based nanoscale platform to electrically detect single DNA molecules. Using electric fields, the tiny DNA strands are pushed through nanoscale-sized thin pores in a graphene nanopore platform that ultimately may be important for fast electronic sequencing of the four chemical bases of DNA based on their unique electrical signature. ... > full story
Unexplained pattern of cosmic rays discovered (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers saw an unusual pattern when they looked at a "skymap" of the relative intensity of cosmic rays directed toward the Earth's Southern Hemisphere, with an excess of cosmic rays detected in one part of the sky and a deficit in another. A similar lopsidedness, called "anisotropy," has been seen from the Northern Hemisphere by previous experiments, but its source is still a mystery. ... > full story
Fly eye paves the way for manufacturing biomimetic surfaces (July 28, 2010) -- Rows of tiny raised blowfly corneas may be the key to easy manufacturing of biomimetic surfaces, surfaces that mimic the properties of biological tissues, according to researchers. ... > full story
Where do the drugs go? (July 28, 2010) -- Drug delivery inside the body is a complicated process. Compounds travel through a maze of aqueous solutions, lipid membranes, and barriers between the blood and tissues like the brain. New research presents a theoretical model that accurately predicts the hydration free energy (HFE) of a wide variety of organic compounds. ... > full story
Two catalysts made to work together: May lead to pharmaceuticals with less chemical waste (July 28, 2010) -- Much like two children in the back seat of a car, it can be challenging to get two catalysts to cooperate for the greater good. Now chemists have gotten two catalysts to work together -- something easily done by nature but a difficult thing to do in the laboratory. The findings will allow medicinal chemists to invent new reactions and produce valuable bioactive compounds faster with less impact on the environment. ... > full story
Engineers prove space pioneer's 25-year-old theory (July 28, 2010) -- When American space pioneer, Dr. Robert L. Forward, proposed in 1984 a way of greatly improving satellite telecommunications using a new family of orbits, some claimed it was impossible. But now engineers in Scotland have proved that Forward was right. ... > full story
Getting a step ahead of pathogens (July 28, 2010) -- A recent article examines the possibility of using epistasis to predict the outcome of the evolutionary processes, especially when the evolving units are pathogens such as viruses. ... > full story
Waste fat from frying fuels hydrogen economy (July 28, 2010) -- Don't pour that dirty fat from the fryer down the sink -- it could be used to make the fuel of the future. ... > full story
New drug delivery technique: Nanoblasts from laser-activated nanoparticles move molecules, proteins and DNA into cells (July 28, 2010) -- Using chemical "nanoblasts" that punch tiny holes in the protective membranes of cells, researchers have demonstrated a new technique for getting therapeutic small molecules, proteins and DNA directly into living cells. ... > full story
Latest 'green' packing material? Mushrooms; Packing foam engineered from mushrooms and agricultural waste (July 28, 2010) -- A new packing material that grows itself is now appearing in shipped products across the country. The composite of inedible agricultural waste and mushroom roots is called Mycobond, and its manufacture requires just one eighth the energy and one tenth the carbon dioxide of traditional foam packing material. ... > full story
Urine: Waste product or future power source? (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers in the UK are looking into the use of urine as the ‘fuel’ for microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacterial cultures to break down ‘food’ to create power. MFCs are a developing technology used to power autonomous robots. ... > full story
Researchers' 'Posseidon' adventure could save shipping industry millions (July 28, 2010) -- Researchers could save the world’s shipping industry millions of pounds in repairs to broken down vessels after developing a computerized warning system which keeps the ‘lifeblood’ of a ship flowing. The Posseidon system, a new sensor-based processing unit, can continuously monitor the ship’s lubricated system, allowing crews on board to predict any deterioration or contamination in the oil, anticipate problems, allowing them to take action before damage and failure occurs. ... > full story
Not as Web savvy as you think? Young people give Google, other top brand search results too much credibility, study finds (July 28, 2010) -- College students trust Google so much that a study has found many students only click on websites that turn up at the top of Google searches to complete assigned tasks. If they don't use Google, researchers found that students trust other brand-name search engines and brand-name websites to lead them to information. ... > full story
Multifunctional nanoparticle enables new type of biological imaging (July 28, 2010) -- By combining a nanoparticle's magnetic and thermal properties, researchers have created a new technique that virtually eliminates the background noise from non-radioactive medical imaging. ... > full story
Researchers investigate effects of lightning strikes on aircraft (July 28, 2010) -- Scientists in the UK are researching the potential for damage posed by lightning for carbon fibre composites (CFCs), which are increasingly being used in aircraft manufacture, with a view to reducing damage and minimizing repair costs. ... > full story
The more frequently you log on, the more weight you can keep off, study finds (July 28, 2010) -- The more people used an interactive weight management website, the more weight loss they maintained, according to a new study. ... > full story
Data sorting world record falls: Computer scientists break terabyte sort barrier in 60 seconds (July 27, 2010) -- Computer scientists from the University of California, San Diego broke "the terabyte barrier" -- and a world record -- when they sorted more than one terabyte of data (1,000 gigabytes or 1 million megabytes) in just 60 seconds. During this 2010 "Sort Benchmark" competition -- the "World Cup of data sorting" -- the computer scientists from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering also tied a world record for fastest data sorting rate. ... > full story
Who gives a tweet? Nuanced feedback for microbloggers (July 27, 2010) -- Researchers are launching a study to understand what aspects of Twitter content are considered valuable, and how that impacts presentation and perception of online identity. ... > full story
Invention enables people with disabilities communicate and steer a wheelchair by sniffing (July 27, 2010) -- Neurobiologists and electrical engineers have invented a new technology that lets the severely disabled communicate or steer a wheelchair by sniffing. Sniffing is a precise motor skill that is controlled, in part, by the soft palate -- the flexible divider that moves to direct air in or out through the mouth or nose. ... > full story
Promise for nuclear fusion test reactors, findings show (July 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered mechanisms critical to interactions between hot plasma and surfaces facing the plasma inside a thermonuclear fusion reactor, part of work aimed at developing coatings capable of withstanding the grueling conditions inside the reactors. ... > full story
Native-like spider silk produced in metabolically engineered bacteria (July 27, 2010) -- Biomolecular engineers have developed technology to artificially create spider dragline silk proteins that can be used to make ultra-strong synthetic fibers and bulletproof vests. ... > full story
More accurate than Heisenberg allows? Uncertainty in the presence of a quantum memory (July 27, 2010) -- Quantum cryptography is the safest way to encrypt data. It utilizes the fact that transmitted information can only be measured with a strictly limited degree of precision. Scientists have now discovered how the use of a quantum memory affects this uncertainty. ... > full story
Radical new computer memory? Emergent resistance network suggests mechanism for colossal magnetoresistance (July 27, 2010) -- Research has revealed new clues on the microscopic processes by which resistance in certain materials is dramatically altered by the presence of magnetic fields. The discovery provides fundamental insights toward the development of radically new memory and switching devices. ... > full story
NASA tests launch abort system at supersonic speeds (July 27, 2010) -- Aerospace engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center are conducting a series of wind tunnel tests to develop technology for future human space exploration. Using a six percent scale Orion model, featuring complex moving parts, engineers are simulating various launch abort conditions the spacecraft might encounter during ascent to characterize the effects of launch abort and control motor plumes on the aerodynamics of the Orion spacecraft. ... > full story
Potentially hazardous asteroid might collide with the Earth in 2182 (July 27, 2010) -- The potentially hazardous asteroid ‘(101955) 1999 RQ36’ has a one-in-a-thousand chance of impacting the Earth, and more than half of this probability indicates that this could happen in the year 2182, according to a new study. Knowing this fact may help design in advance mechanisms aimed at deviating the asteroid’s path. ... > full story
For platinum catalysts, smaller may be better (July 27, 2010) -- Researchers have studied platinum catalysts at the atomic scale under actual industrial reaction conditions and discovered why nanoparticle clusters of platinum potentially can out-perform the single crystals of platinum now used in fuel cells and catalytic converters. ... > full story
Seeing the forest and the trees reveals heart problems (July 27, 2010) -- A statistical analysis of publicly available heart rate data using three classification tools -- Random Forests, Logistic Model Tree and Neural Network -- could lead to a rapid and precise way to diagnose heart problems, according to new research. ... > full story
Delayed time zero in photoemission: New record in time measurement accuracy (July 27, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered a time delay when using light pulses to emit electrons from atoms. Until now, it has been assumed that the electrons start moving out of the atom immediately after the impact of the photons. This delay is the shortest time interval measured to date. ... > full story
Keeping trains on track: Early-warning hazard system for the world's railways (July 27, 2010) -- Researchers are collecting high-tech sensing data from satellites, airplanes, magnetic and soil sensors, and unmanned aircraft to devise a solution that will provide a reliable early-warning system for train operators. ... > full story
Experiments narrow allowed mass range for Higgs boson (July 26, 2010) -- New constraints on the elusive Higgs particle are more stringent than ever before. Scientists of the CDF and DZero collider experiments at the US Department of Energy's Fermilab have revealed their latest Higgs search results, which rule out a significant fraction of the allowed mass range established by earlier experiments. ... > full story
Arctic voyage illuminating ocean optics (July 26, 2010) -- During NASA's ICESCAPE voyage to the Arctic, scientists have been looking at the phytoplankton in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea -- how many, how big and at what depths they are found. But there are other ways of looking at these small life forms. ... > full story
What does your avatar say about you? (July 26, 2010) -- Old or young, beautiful or sinister - the choices are endless when designing an avatar or a virtual alter ego. In the end, do people choose one that is really different from themselves? Usually not, according to new research that shows in most cases, avatars reflect the personality of their creators. The study has implications for real-life companies who would like to reach both the virtual and real-world markets. ... > full story
Noninvasive MR imaging of blood vessel growth in tumors using nanosized contrast agents (July 26, 2010) -- Scientists have incorporated nanotechnology, material science, and the clinical imaging modality MRI, to create a nanosized probe capable of noninvasively visualizing and quantifying the blood vessel growth in tumors in a preclinical model. Studies in cell and preclinical animal models showed increase uptake of vascular targeted-nanoprobes over non-targeted nanoprobes. ... > full story
Position-based quantum cryptography: New method for securing location-sensitive data (July 26, 2010) -- Computer scientists have proved that cryptography, the practice and study of hiding information, based solely on location is possible by using quantum mechanics. This allows one to encrypt and decrypt data without pre-sharing any cryptographic keys that can be used to lock and unlock sensitive information. The idea behind location-based cryptography is that only a recipient at a precise geographic location can receive an encrypted message. ... > full story
An alchemist’s dream: Lead-free electronics (July 26, 2010) -- It’s been said that the typical mobile phone contains roughly half of all elements found on the Periodic Table. One of the most problematic substances used in phones and other electronics is lead. But making lead-free electronics has proved problematic – until now. Researchers have now developed a method that enables the industrial production of a substance that can be used to replace lead in many electronic applications. ... > full story
Largest particle accelerator 'rediscovers' fundamental subatomic particles (July 26, 2010) -- The world's largest particle accelerator -- Europe's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) -- has yielded its first measurements of fundamental subatomic particles, so far confirming physicists' Standard Model but also paving the way to future discoveries that may offer new insights into the forces that govern the universe. ... > full story
Storm elves and sprites recorded on video (July 26, 2010) -- A team of Spanish researchers has made a high-speed recording of elves and sprites in storms, fleeting and luminous electric phenomena produced in the upper layers of the atmosphere. ... > full story
New antibacterial material for bandages, food packaging, shoes (July 26, 2010) -- A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from antibacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. The new material consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon. ... > full story
A plane that lands like a bird (July 26, 2010) -- Everyone knows what it's like for an airplane to land: the slow maneuvering into an approach pattern, the long descent, and the brakes slamming on as soon as the plane touches down, which seems to just barely bring it to a rest a mile later. Birds, however, can switch from barreling forward at full speed to lightly touching down on a target as narrow as a telephone wire. Why can't an airplane be more like a bird? ... > full story
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